Security systems are typically implemented by either wired or wireless sensors in the property being protected. These sensors may consist of door contacts, window contacts, glass-break detectors, motion sensors, and other types of intrusion detection sensors, as well as other environmental sensors like smoke, fire, carbon monoxide, and flood sensors. When a sensor is tripped, the system may sound a local siren, or notify an offsite host station of the event, or both. Depending on the type of sensor tripped, the system may wait for a period before sounding the alarm or notifying the host station so that the property owner or manager will have an opportunity to disarm the system. Recently, with the goal of reducing of the overall false alarm rate that has troubled the industry, the Security Industry Association (SIA) has also advocated that most residential security systems be programmed with an automatic alarm signaling delay for all intrusion alarms so that the homeowner has more time to cancel false alarms. Many security control panels today may be shipped with an SIA suggested “dialer delay” feature enabled. Security systems, which notify a host station of an alarm, are called “monitored security systems.” These systems most often notify the host station, e.g., “central station”, of the alarm by using, for example, telephone lines, e.g., POTS (plain old telephone service), or other landline (broadband) connection. These systems, however, may be defeated by physically cutting or otherwise disabling the line connection to the property. If the connection to the property is cut before or immediately after an unauthorized intruder enters the property, then the system may not report the alarm to the host station.
To counter line disablement, some security systems are upgraded to send alarm signals to the host station via a wireless radio. When wireless signaling from the security system to the host station occurs, the security system cannot be disabled by merely cutting the landline connection to the home or business. Nevertheless, a wireless radio-signaling device may still be vulnerable to attack. One common tactic used by intruders is a tactic known as the “crash and smash” technique.
In implementing the “crash and smash” technique, a savvy intruder may effectively disable phone lines (or other wired connections) as well as wireless signaling devices before a traditional alarm system is able to contact a user. To implement the “crash and smash” technique, the intruder crashes through a door, for example, that is programmed to delay. The delay is typically programmed by the system designer to allow the homeowner or property manager enough time to disarm their security system before the alarm is sounded, or the host station is notified. During this delay period, the system is waiting to be disarmed. Although these delay periods typically last about one minute, in response to high false alarm rates and high fines for false alarms, these delay periods are being programmed to be longer, sometimes as long as three to five minutes, and many systems today may be programmed with a signaling delay implemented for most intrusion alarms, even if the alarm was tripped by a sensor that is not on a commonly used access to the property. This delay period provides the savvy intruder enough time to crash through the door and smash the security control panel and the wireless signaling device while the control panel is waiting to be disarmed or while the system is attempting to establish an analog (dial-up) phone connection with the host station. In this way, the security system is defeated.